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Kevin Faulk

Patriots 2001: Preview of a Dynasty

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As I’ve been enjoying the Patriots sixth Super Bowl title over the last month, I found myself glancing back at the 2001 season and how much has happened since then. The Patriots going on a second three-Super-Bowl run has certainly given things a complete feeling. I’ve been saying everything else is gravy but this is getting ridiculous thinking they’re not done.

2001 was a lifetime ago and for the Patriots it was the last time that there were no expectations for them. Really, no one outside of New England really cared about this football team back then, and now, 17 years later, the Patriots are loved and hated around the globe.

I popped the 2001 NFL Films Yearbook DVD in this weekend and was fascinated to see what a microcosm of the dynasty this season really was, how so many games against so many teams would encapsulate so much of what Brady and the Patriots would experience en route to winning five more Super Bowls. The themes that would recur over and over across the next two decades of football.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable moments and pieces that would echo well into the future.

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Report from Kevin Faulk’s HOF Induction and In-Stadium Practice Notes

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I attended the Kevin Faulk Patriots Hall of Fame induction and ensuing practice inside Gillette Stadium to cover it for us here at Pats Propaganda. This was my second time attending one of these inductions (the first being for Tedy Bruschi in 2013), so I went in with certain expectations for the event, and they were all met.

The Krafts really do go all out to help the fans and important players in team history connect and pay tribute to each other. They are model ownership, and other franchises should really take note. The red carpet, players from every era of Patriots football (the earliest players this time were from 1966), cheerleaders carrying out every Super Bowl trophy wearing white gloves ala Philip Pritchard (the keeper of the Stanley Cup), gun salutes from the minutemen, Bob Kraft himself presenting the players and putting the red jacket on them. Both this occasion and the Bruschi induction had fans spilling out as far as there was a viewpoint in all directions. Just a great environment.

A photo posted by @leojwhite on

Kevin’s speech was very direct, paying tribute to everyone in his life that helped him along the way…friends, families, teammates, coaches, ownership, etc. Not much in the way of stories from him, which seemed to be very fitting based on everyone else’s testaments to him during the ceremony.

After the speech, Bill Belichick came out and said some nice things about Kevin. Belichick rarely gets too candid or passionate about anything, so it’s great to see when it does happen, as it did here.

Following Belichick’s tribute to Kevin, there was a bit of a quick story time with other players that played alongside him. One of the striking things was that most of the other players on stage with him were defensive players, as they actually all worked against each other in practice every day and helped make each other great at what they did, and all constantly paid tribute to each other’s roles in drills, whether it was pass protection (Bruschi), or pass coverage (Willie McGinest and Ty Law). Patrick Pass was up there as well and discussed learning from Kevin. Ty Law also told a story about Kevin’s rookie year involving a little bit of hazing, in which the two of them and a few other players were at a bar doing copious amounts of shots, though Kevin wasn’t aware that he was the only one actually drinking liquor, everyone else had shots of water. Funny stuff.

Tom Brady showed up in a Faulk jersey and spoke as well! First time he has visibly been a part of any of these inductions, you could tell they had a great relationship.

A photo posted by @leojwhite on

Following the ceremony, there was practice inside of Gillette Stadium.

Here are some quick notes from my observations there:

-It was all helmets and shoulder pads, so there wasn’t much in the way of contact, but a lot of passing in 11 on 11s still occurred.

-Gronk. Gronk. Gronk. Seriously, Gronk. I’ve seen him in camp for many years now. This is the best and fastest I’ve ever seen him look (and it’s not even close). If the Patriots chose to run their offense in a way to make it happen and everyone stayed in good health, he could go for 2500 yards this year. Obviously, they won’t run it that way…rest of the NFL: you could be in some serious trouble.

-The Patriots appear to have three legitimate quarterbacks on the roster. Jacoby Brissett was exclusively working with guys that are likely to be fringe players, but his accuracy, delivery, and decision making looked like he is built for NFL success. Jimmy Garoppolo no longer has the throwing form of Uncle Rico, but lost nothing on his quick delivery or accuracy with the change. Tom Brady is Tom Brady.

-Among the standout guys working with Jacoby Brissett’s group in 11 on 11s were fellow rookies Malcolm Mitchell, DJ Foster, and Devin Lucien. Darryl Roberts was over there as well on defense. I couldn’t really get a good look at Kamu Grugier-Hill because of where he lined up most of the time, but other reports were that he looked solid on that end. I think some of those guys were over there to get in reps instead of rotate or to keep building playbook knowledge.

-The closest comparison I can make for Malcolm Mitchell that most people could gravitate to is when you’re playing varsity football, and see the first couple freshman practices of the year, and see that one guy that stands out so much that you think “oh wow, he might get some varsity snaps this year”. He was clearly the best player in that whole group. He needs to work on his sideline awareness (a few one-foot-in grabs), but his routes were tight, he was very quick, he went after the ball, and his hands were like glue.

-DJ Foster was lining up all over the place, more than any other runningback on either end of the field. Slot, split out wide, behind the quarterback under center, next to the quarterback in shotgun. He was running swings, screens, and wheel routes from behind the line, and gos, slants, and Z-outs when on the line. He could be the real deal if he’s a solid ball carrier as well. He and Darryl Roberts had great battles whenever lined up across from each other, but Foster was torching everyone else that was put on him.

-I said very nice things about my expectations for Devin Lucien last week. I’m going to simply say that I hope he’s somebody that shows up big time in games, because I wasn’t incredibly impressed by him in practice, unfortunately.

-As far as the bigger named talent and the people with them go, Jamie Collins looked strong in coverage, particularly on one pass breakup against James White. If he can get as strong in pass coverage as the rest of his game is, the Patriots will need to resign him before he wins Defensive MVP.

-Deandre Carter saw a lot of balls thrown his way in 11 on 11 with the first teamers. He’s building trust with both Tom and Jimmy, and that can’t be good for players deeper down the roster or currently injured receivers not at practice.

–Aaron Dobson seems to be having another “can he put it all together like this on gamedays and stay healthy?” camp, for the fourth consecutive year. I already feel like this is quite a dead horse, but I’d love to see this story end in a new way. He looked good.

-College highlight films of Cyrus Jones give the impression that he is a very Tyrann Mathieu-like player, so I’m excited to see him in full pads and full contact. He was certainly solid…but if his game is as chippy as it seems, you can’t really break that out in athletic shorts.

Overall, it was quite a fun day of revisiting football memories and getting excited for a potential future. I am certainly ready for preseason action to start!

Patriots 2016 Hall of Fame Finalists announced

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A 20-person nomination committee selects Raymond Clayborn, Kevin Faulk and Mike Vrabel as the 2016 Patriots Hall of Fame finalists. Patriots fans now have until May 14 to vote for the nominee most deserving of hall of fame honors.

Source: Patriots 2016 Hall of Fame Finalists announced | New England Patriots

Tough, tough choice here. Raymond Clayborn’s number’s don’t lie but most of us are guilty of recency bias and seeing two legends like Kevin Faulk and Mike Vrabel up there really pulls the attention away. Clayborn’s been nominated for his third-straight time, so it’s kind of now or never for him. He should probably be the guy right now, but is likely to once again be overshadowed by guys who helped the Pats win multiple Super Bowls.

But if we ignore Clayborn for a moment, as most new-ish Patriots fans are doing, how do you choose between Faulk and Vrabel? Both had so many huge plays in huge games that easily and immediately come to mind. Can you really say which was more valuable to the dynasty? I’d argue for Faulk that his value really spiked later in his career, like 2006-2009, though he broke 1000 yards from scrimmage in 2000 and 2003. 2008 he was vital to helping Matt Cassel with the third-most yards-from-scrimmage of his career.

As for Vrabel, I can’t lie. He’s one of my all-time favorite Pats and as we all know now, maybe the smartest player to ever play for Belichick. And the way he came to the team, as a Steeler castoff, only makes him really embody a huge part of what has made the Belichick Pats so good. The clutch Super Bowl touchdowns, the big sacks, playing any position on defense just about, Vrabel did it all and did it all at a high level.

In some ways I feel like Vrabel and Faulk are the flip side of the same coin. Somewhat unsung and under-appreciated but unquestionably the kind of players that the dominance of the 2000s was built on. While I think Vrabel probably wins the vote and gets into the HOF, Faulk shouldn’t have to wait long.

Three plays that defined Kevin Faulk’s Patriots career

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When a player like Kevin Faulk retires it’s hard to go through the stats and numbers to sum up what that player meant to the franchise. You can look through Faulk’s career numbers and maybe say his best seasons were:

  • 2003 – 1,351 all purpose yards
  • 2008 – 1,161 all purpose yards

But there’s so much that those numbers don’t cover. Faulk was the patriarch of the swiss army knife in the Belichick Pats offense. He could run, he could catch, he could return kicks and punts, and he could even throw a bit (2-for-4, 21 yards career, including one to Tom Brady). On that side of the ball he summed up everything the Patriots ask of their players like no one else.

If you want an accurate depiction of what Faulk meant to the Patriots I think the best way to do so is to look at three specific plays that really sum it up.

Game One: 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff: Patriots @ Chargers

The Patriots had been sloppy all day but managed to make just enough plays  to stay in it against a Chargers team everyone thought was headed to the Super Bowl. Late in the fourth quarter the Patriots trailed by 8 until, just five plays after Troy Brown had saved the season by stripping an interception from Marlon McCree’s hands, Tom Brady found Reche Caldwell in the end zone to pull the Pats within two points.

With under five minutes to go the Patriots needed the two-point conversion to tie the game and save their season. The play? A direct snap to Faulk that worked more than a few times in his career.

In a gotta-have-it playoff moment it was Faulk the Patriots turned to, and he came through.

Game Two: 2007 Patriots @ Colts

After losing the 2006 AFC Championship in Indy, then returning to the site of the crime with an 8-0 record the next season, the Patriots wanted to make a statement vs. Peyton Manning and the Colts.

The Colts were the first team to shut down the Pats explosive offense, holding a 20-10 lead with under 10 minutes to go in the game. After a Welker score the Pats trailed by three, until a short dumpoff was turned into a 13-yard game winning touchdown by Faulk after he sliced through the Colts defense.

Nothing about Faulk’s numbers stand out from the day, 29 yards rushing on 7 carries and 20 yards receiving on 3 catches, but in the most important moment it was Faulk who made the play to seal the win for the undefeated Patriots.

Game Three: 2009 Patriots @ Colts

Sadly I’m going to end this one on a play that didn’t turn out the way us Patriots fans wanted it to. We haven’t rehashed 4th and 2 much in these parts recently but in hindsight it really says a lot about Faulk.

We all know what the situation was. The Pats led 34-28 late in the fourth quarter when they faced a 4th and 2 at their own 28. They decided to go for it in one of the most controversial coaching decisions of Bill Belichick’s career.

With the game on the line, and Wes Welker seemingly open, it was still Faulk that Brady threw to. And it was a tough catch, but one that he held on to. Unfortunately he was spotted just short, though I’m sure plenty of Pats fans still think he got the yardage for the first down.

It’s hard to truly describe what made Kevin Faulk one of the key cogs in the Patriots dynasty, but those of us who watched the games know that when we needed a play number 33 was a go-to guy. His leadership and versatility are woven into the foundation of the Patriot way, and helped set a standard that is still being lived up to today.

Even in failure these plays show the kind of player Kevin Faulk was for the Patriots; the kind of weapon you could trust to make the biggest plays in the biggest moments on the biggest stages.